Body Work Advice

[Jazman]

Guys,

I have looked at alot of posts and the general concensus seems to be to blast opposed to acid dip.

We have stripped our 260z to the shell:

and we are now slightly worried that if it is acid dipped nothing will be coming back.. save maybe an urn full..

Apart from SPL there was another company in Nottingham which also does acid dipping, however we really want all the rust to be gone and for us to be comfortable knowing the car will last another 30 years.

your advice would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Jaz

 

[SeanDezart]

Sand blast and inspect then blast again and finally cut large around any 'surface' rust.

 

[Mr.G]

I don't know enough about this to comment for certain but I read that sand blasting can be too abrasive and there are other mediums they use now which are far gentler to the bodywork - you may want to look into that further.

 

[SeanDezart]

I don't know enough about this to comment for certain but I read that sand blasting can be too abrasive and there are other mediums they use now which are far gentler to the bodywork - you may want to look into that further.

That fence must feel awkward.

 

[vipergts]

As a fellow dipper all I would say is if you're worried about getting a bucket of dust back then you have to face facts, it will only get rid of rusty metal.

If you dip then make sure that every box section and every seam is rid of all acid because it will carry on working. Even though my car was dipped, neutralised and e coated I still got streaks of rust appearing from places such as between seams around outer and inner panels etc.

Where panels meet they should be un picked and treated.

Sandblasting will not get into unseen box sections etc which is why I went dipping.

Dont get me wrong my Charger looks superb...probably the best in the country but I dont feel comfortable getting it wet.....put it that way.

 

[Mr.G]

Sean, not trying to sit on any fence, I don't know enough about it to comment in detail, simple. I'm hoping it may spark a discussion and those who have been down that road will chime in as I'm willing to learn.

Jazman, Pmac has a thread on here referring to his rally car and he has used a paint stripper of sorts (like nitromors) to do his car. You may want to speak with him.

 

[moonraker_tom]

Hey,

Been doing some investigation into this;
Dipping is great, because it gets into the knooks & crannies, BUT if there are any seams that have been bonded as opposed to welded, the dipping medium (acid?) will remove the bond, therefore the seam will be no-longer.
Blasting, there are various mediums, soda, aluminium etc etc - speaking to various restores they seem to favour soda blasting as it removes paint, rust etc but is not too abrashive that it removes good metal. I was chatting to a restoration company at the Goodwood Breakfast Club a few months ago who are based in Winchester & they estimated £850 for my Z (for soda blasting). When I find the card I will pm you.
I am planning on visiting several 'blasters' and sprayers to give me a final decesion.

t

 

[SeanDezart]

If the operator knows what he is doing AND he knows Zs, sand-blasting isn't too aggressive.

 

[rallymanDP]

Do NOT, under any circumstances, have the external panels Sandblasted !

The only mediums that are safe to do this with are Walnut Shells ( I kid you not - they are easily available in the States, but not over here ), or Soda Blasting.

Anything else - no matter what the Operator tells you - will destroy the Roofskin, Rear Quarters, etc., beyond repair. And remember that these Panels are not available new any more.

Sanblast the Door & Tailgate openings, around the outer edge of the Roofskin, the Engine Bay including and up to the Bulkhead, the Front End complete, and around the Rear Light Recesses. That should cost you around £120-150, and then you will need to etch Prime everything pretty quickly to prevent surface rust starting again. The Doors & Tailgate can be Sandblasted only around the Returns ( i.e the Inner edges ), but again, not the outer faces or you will destroy them.

Before then, carefully remove the Battery Tray ( drill out the spot welds ), which will be corroded underneath, so that the Blaster can get into this area, which can be re-welded afterwards.

As Pmac says, then Hand strip the removable panels with Nitromors and repair wherever necessary, then stonechip the underside of the Wings, the Rear wheelarches, under the Floorpans, Chassis Legs, etc. before painting or Undersealing.

Before painting, brush Seam sealer upon all the Lap jointed panels everywhere you can find - it will take at least a day, but cost very little, and you are then sealing all the potential rust traps for the long-term.

After Restoring and Painting the Bodyshell & Panels, then you can inject Waxoyl into all the caveties to prevent any future corrosion coming from within the Chassis Legs, Sills, etc.

 

[Rob Gaskin]

I have no experience of dipping or sand-blasting bodywork. I have sand-blasted components and it works just fine.

I would cut out all the rusty panelwork and wirebrush (with an electric tool) the rest! Cheap and time consuming, no risk.

I can see the rusty panelwork from your pictures (normal bits) no point in doing anything with that, just cut it out.

 

[pmac]

Body Work Advice
Guys,

I have looked at alot of posts and the general concensus seems to be to blast opposed to acid dip.

We have stripped our 260z to the shell:
and we are now slightly worried that if it is acid dipped nothing will be coming back.. save maybe an urn full..

Apart from SPL there was another company in Nottingham which also does acid dipping, however we really want all the rust to be gone and for us to be comfortable knowing the car will last another 30 years.

your advice would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Jaz

There isnt a consensus on the best way to prepare a shell.
It will depend on a number of factors including your own skill set, time scale, budget, condition/origin of original shell and the final intended end product.

But first of all you need to do a bit more manual stripping. All the interior sound deadening that is stuck to the shell needs to be removed. also try and remove any underseal from under the car so you can see metal .
If at this stage you are concerned that total rust removal thru acid dipping will result in more fresh air than metal then you need to consider the fact that the shell might bebeyond economic repair.. Also consider that replacement shell panels are extremely rare and expensive to obtain. If you want a car to last 30 years then patching it up wont do..
More photos after a bit more investigation would be useful.

 

[SeanDezart]

Sean, not trying to sit on any fence, I don't know enough about it to comment in detail, simple. I'm hoping it may spark a discussion and those who have been down that road will chime in as I'm willing to learn.

Just figured then, it would be best to read and learn !

Duncan - I didn't intend to suggest that panels should be sand-blasted - nothing wrong with good old-fashioned elbow grease and a few electric tools.

Listen to pmac !

 

[moggy240]

do you intend to weld before stripping or after ?

 

[Jazman]

do you intend to weld before stripping or after ?

I was thinking of welding after the stripping as I wanted clean metal to join to.. however it would seem to make more sense to be able to weld new pieces to replace overly rusted areas before stripping..

 

[moggy240]

proberly best if you do the worst of the welding now and worry about the smaller bits once it stripped.if i was you i would bolt the front crossmember back on when you weld the lower radiator panel and if you need to do any repairs on the front chassis rails to keep it all square.

 

[No Hands]

If at this stage you are concerned that total rust removal thru acid dipping will result in more fresh air than metal then you need to consider the fact that the shell might bebeyond economic repair.. Also consider that replacement shell panels are extremely rare and expensive to obtain. If you want a car to last 30 years then patching it up wont do..
More photos after a bit more investigation would be useful.

That's true but good shells are getting hard to find and quite expensive so maybe you've got to work with what you've got. And things can only get beyond economic repair if you plan on selling later.

 

[Jazman]

ok guys, thanks for the input, I have been calling around a few places and I am of the opinion to have it blasted however my best mate is a dipping man.. so we will have to ahem talk this one out..


fight fight fight..

Thanks again,

Jaz.